Foreign-Affairs
Australia to send millions to Bangladesh, Myanmar for food, shelter
Australia will provide $135 million in 2022-23 for life-saving food, water and shelter in Bangladesh and Myanmar through partner organisations.
The package of support builds on $480 million provided since 2017 to people across Myanmar, forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals, Rohingya, and host communities in Bangladesh.
It will also deliver essential protection, education and health services for those most in need, including women, girls and people with disabilities, the Australian foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday.
Since the military coup in February 2021, the number of people in humanitarian need in Myanmar has surged from 1 million to an estimated 14.4 million.
Read: Bangladesh seeks OIC’s help to continue Rohingya genocide case
Australia commended Bangladesh's ongoing support to over 919,000 displaced Rohingya who rely on humanitarian assistance to survive while recognising the ongoing impact on communities hosting the Rohingya.
"Australia's humanitarian assistance will be delivered through the United Nations, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and non-government organisations," the Australian foreign ministry said.
Read: EU announces € 3m for Rohingyas in Bhasan Char
"All partner organisations have proven capacity to deliver neutral and independent humanitarian assistance and reach those most in need. They are carefully chosen to ensure that Australia's assistance does not directly benefit or legitimise the military regime in Myanmar."
Bangladesh seeks OIC’s help to continue Rohingya genocide case
Bangladesh Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Permanent Representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Mohammad Javed Patwari has sought the help of OIC member states to continue the Rohingya genocide case lodged by Gambia at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Javed sought the help at the ad-hoc meeting of OIC ministers on Myanmar’s accountability for violating the human rights of the Rohingyas — held in Jeddah on Thursday.
“Bangladesh has already provided USD .5 million to the volunteer fund to continue the Rohingya genocide case at ICJ and is about to provide USD .2 million more in the coming days. Besides, we’ve built new infrastructure at Bhasan Char for the Rohingya people at a cost of USD 350 million, which has been allocated from our own fund,” Javed said.
Read: EU announces € 3m for Rohingyas in Bhasan Char
Javed added that Bangladesh needs the help of OIC countries as the assistance received till now is much less than the required amount.
“The solution to the Rohingya problem through ICJ is a long-term process and we need to carry on our activities to this end intensively. It’s a question of providing justice to an uprooted people who have been deprived of their ethnic existence. That’s why all of us need to show solidarity, support and provide assistance to the ICJ case,” Javed added.
During the meeting, the ambassador praised the voluntary contributions and pledges made by some OIC countries and thanked Gambia’s representatives at the ICJ along with OIC Secretariat and member states for lodging the case against Myanmar.
Read: Dhaka seeks proactive role from Thailand, ASEAN to repatriate Rohingya
The meeting was presided over by Gambia’s Minister of Justice Dawda Jallow. Permanent representatives of OIC countries including Saudi Arabia and Turkey also spoke during the meeting.
Bangladesh, EU partners in principles as well as practice: European Commissioner
Appreciating Bangladesh's support for the Rohingyas, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson on Thursday said Bangladesh and the European Union (EU) are partners in principles as well as practice.
"I am very impressed by the Bangladeshi Government and people’s continued hospitality to the Rohingya refugees. Monumental work has been done by the Government of Bangladesh," she said.
The European Commissioner said much as the European Union has this year hosted 4 million Ukrainians under direct threat, Bangladesh has also been standing up to help those people on its borders who are victims of persecutions and violence.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, warmly welcomed the European Union’s generous contribution of EUR 3 million to support the continued protection and humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees living on Bhasan Char.
The announcement was made at a ceremony with Ylva Johansson, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, who is on a two-day visit to Bangladesh, and Ita Schuette, Head of UNHCR in Cox’s Bazar, in the presence of Md. Enamur Rahman, State Minister of Disaster Management and Relief.
"This contribution from the European Union will enable us to provide protection and humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees on Bhasan Char, for them to live in safety and with dignity, and to participate in a meaningful life until a durable solution is achieved,” said Ita Schuette.
Read: EU announces € 3m for Rohingyas in Bhasan Char
“As the United Nations is committed to provide protection and life-saving assistance to the Rohingya refugees on Bhasan Char, complementing the project led by the Government of Bangladesh, the sustained and generous support of the European Union remains invaluable”.
Enamur Rahman said he is very happy to know that European Union is giving 3 million Euro for the forcefully displaced Rohingya people as humanitarian assistance in Bhasan char.
US Naval Special Warfare partners with Bangladesh Navy for more stable Indo-Pacific
The US Naval Special Warfare has partnered with Bangladesh Navy to "enhance stability" in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, and training for contingencies.
The second joint combined exchange training (JCET) exercise of 2022 between Bangladesh Navy Special Warfare Diving and Salvage (BN SWADS) and US Naval Special Warfare concluded in Chattogram on Thursday.
The JCET is the latest in a series of initiatives aimed at enhancing the forces' combat readiness and their ability to respond to maritime threats, said the US Embassy in Dhaka.
Read: Bangladesh Navy deserves appreciation for ensuring maritime security while facing natural challenges: PM
The BN SWADS and NSW trainers undertook a four-week physically demanding training exercise that familiarised participants with patrolling and crisis response tactics.
Maldives FM condoles death of 2 Bangladeshis in fire
Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has expressed sympathy to Bangladesh over the death of two Bangladeshis in a tragic fire in Male.
In a telephone conversation with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Thursday, Maldives Minister Shahid said it seems to be an accident and a full investigation into the matter is underway.
Momen requested his Maldives counterpart to ensure identities of the victims in detail.
Read more: 2 Bangladeshis among 11 feared dead in Maldives fire
He also sought salvation of the departed souls and conveyed sympathy to the bereaved family members.
In a separate message, the Maldives Foreign Minister said he is deeply saddened by the news of a tragic fire in Male that has taken the lives of 11 expatriate workers and affected several families.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with families of the deceased and affected," he tweeted.
2 Bangladeshis among 11 feared dead in Maldives fire
Two Bangladeshis are feared dead among 11 workers who were killed in a fire that broke out in a building housing foreign workers in the Maldives capital early Thursday.
Another Bangladeshi was injured and hospitalised, an official at Bangladesh High Commission in Maldives told UNB.
Read more: 10 shops, bank branch gutted in Ctg market fire
Details of the deceased are yet to be known as their documents were destroyed in the fire, the official added.
He identified the injured as Tayab.
Read more: Electric transformer catches fire behind Gulshan Central Mosque
"We will hopefully be able to know details once we can talk to the injured person. He is not in a position to talk at this moment," the official added.
Maldives police spokesman Yoonus Sobah said the fire broke out in the building after midnight, reports AP.
The Indian embassy in Maldives said on Twitter that Indian citizens were among the dead.
Sobah said the cause of the fire is being investigated.
Maldives employs a large number of foreign workers, mostly from Bangladesh and India. Their living quarters, especially in the capital, Male, are frequently overcrowded.
Bangladesh seeks Brazilian investment in energy, infrastructure, ICT sectors
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has invited Brazilian investors to invest in the energy, infrastructure and ICT sectors in Bangladesh.
He said Bangladesh is the largest manufacturing hub in the region.
Foreign Minister Momen said Bangladesh and Brazil have so many similarities but the trade volume is still to grow more.
The issues were discussed when newly appointed Ambassador of Brazil to Bangladesh Paulo Fernando Dias Feres met the Foreign Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.
Foreign Minister Momen welcomed the new Brazilian Ambassador to Bangladesh and congratulated him on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Brazil.
Read more: EU announces € 3m for Rohingyas in Bhasan Char
He also congratulated the newly elected President of Brazil Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva for his remarkable victory.
The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh looks forward to working with the new administration to further strengthening the political and trade relations.
Momen invited newly elected President Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva to visit Bangladesh next year at a mutually convenient time.
Read more: UN expert urges Bangladesh to step up efforts to prevent trafficking
He highlighted Bangladesh’s interest in importing sugar, soybean oil and high breed milking cows from Brazil.
Momen also expressed hope that Brazil would facilitate Bangladesh’s initiative to have preferential trade agreement with the MERCOSUR countries.
The Foreign Minister said at present developing countries do not have any effective international forum for greater cooperation.
He opined that the developing countries like Brazil, Bangladesh and other like-minded developing countries can form an organisation for southern countries for better supply chain management, information sharing and shared economic development.
Brazilian Ambassador Feres appreciated the idea and expressed his country’s keen interest to work with Bangladesh closely on the issues of mutual benefits.
He appreciated Bangladesh’s economic strides in the recent years and sought government’s cooperation during his tenure in Dhaka.
Both sides also discussed the issues of mutual cooperation and reciprocal supports in the multilateral forum.
EU announces € 3m for Rohingyas in Bhasan Char
The European Union (EU) has announced additional Euro 3 million support for the Rohingyas in Bhasan Char.
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs YIva Johansson announced the assistance at an event at the EU Embassy in the city’s Gulshan on Thursday.
Ylva Johansson arrived in Dhaka this morning on a two-day official visit to discuss the issues of mutual interest with special focus on security matters.
Read more: Dhaka seeks proactive role from Thailand, ASEAN to repatriate Rohingya
At the event, State Minister for Disaster Management Enamur Rahman said, “We are happy to hear that the EU will provide € 3m as humanitarian aid for the Rohingyas in Bhasan Char. They also helped the Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar. The Government of Bangladesh expressed gratitude to the European Union for the support.”
Enamur said the Bangladesh government is trying to ensure all kinds of humanitarian assistance to the Rohingyas.
The nutrition situation among the Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char has improved a lot, the state minister said adding violence among the Rohingyas has already been brought under control.
Read more: Elaborate scheme to provide Rohingya with NIDs at Tk 1 lakh each busted
Bangladesh is currently hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in camps in Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char. Most of them have come to this country since August 25, 2017, when the Myanmar military launched a brutal offensive targeting the Muslim ethnic minorities.
UN expert urges Bangladesh to step up efforts to prevent trafficking
UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons Siobhan Mullally has called for greater accountability and said urgent action is necessary to prevent trafficking, and ensure assistance and protection without discrimination.
The UN human rights expert called on Bangladesh to step up efforts to prevent trafficking in persons, especially for purposes of sexual exploitation, child marriage, and forced labour, and urged authorities to improve rights and protection for victims.
“Child trafficking is a significant risk, which must be addressed through expanded child protection and increased efforts at birth registration. No community should be left behind,” the UN expert said.
She met the media at the city hotel on Wednesday afternoon concluding her 10-day visit in Bangladesh.
Read more: COVID-19: US vaccine donations to Bangladesh exceed 100 million
The UN expert urged Bangladesh to step up efforts to prevent trafficking particularly for sexual exploitation of persons of diverse gender identities who were at grave risk.
Mullally met with a range of survivors and victims of trafficking during her visit, including those who had been trafficked for sexual and labour exploitation, domestic servitude, child and forced marriage.
Mullally’s visit took her to Dhaka and Cox’s Bazaar, and to refugee camps hosting almost 1 million Rohingya refugees, and to the city of Sylhet.
She also visited shelter homes for children at risk and victims of trafficking.
“More efforts to combat child trafficking is essential, including by improving rates of birth registration for all communities and ending child marriage. We know that the children of sex workers are at great risk, and are often not registered at birth,” Mullally said.
COVID-19: US vaccine donations to Bangladesh exceed 100 million
The United States has donated another six million pediatric doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to Bangladesh, bringing the total number of American vaccine donations to more than 100 million.
The US is the largest COVID-19 vaccine donor to Bangladesh. American COVID-19 vaccine donations now account for more than 70 percent of all international COVID-19 vaccine donations to Bangladesh.
Read more: US donates additional 10mn Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses to Bangladesh
“This milestone underscores the strong partnership between our two countries and is just one part of the incredible progress Bangladesh has made in fully vaccinating nearly 75 percent of the entire country,” said US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas.
Read more: Bangladesh receives more doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from US
He said this is a remarkable achievement. “I congratulate everyone involved in protecting Bangladeshi children and adults against the pandemic,” said Ambassador Haas.
Ambassador Haas and Mayor of Narayanganj City Corporation Dr Selina Hayat Ivy joined a programme at school vaccination site in Narayanganj to mark this milestone in the Bangladesh-US partnership to fight the pandemic.
The United States has contributed more than $140 million in COVID-19 related development and humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh.